Marcia Cardamore

Board Chair, Founder: PeopleSense Foundation, Canada

Marcia is the Founder of PeopleSense Foundation, which partners with organizations such as Every Woman Treaty that relentlessly pursue innovative, bold and systemic change initiatives that address violence against girls and women. A former university professor of business, Marcia is a lifelong entrepreneur, venture investor and business executive. Drawing on her decades of building and selling successful hi tech businesses, she helps not-for-profit enterprises excel by deploying both her intellectual and financial capital. Marcia was the largest donor and fundraiser as well as Chair of the Board and Advisor of a successful constitutional challenge in Kenya on behalf of little girls who had been raped and denied justice. In addition, she has supported work pertaining to murdered and missing aboriginal women in Canada; spearheaded the piloting for a proof of concept women’s health care clinic with a much needed rape crisis centre in Honduras; and supported the work of Congolese women journalists working in print, social media and radio in the DRC, reaching out to other women to share information about human rights and gender-based violence. Marcia continues to strategically and actively volunteer as an Advisor, Board Member, former Chair of Fund Development and current Chair of Operations committees for The Match International Women’s Fund that funds grassroots women’s groups in the global south. She also serves as Advisor for both the Violence Prevention and Anti-Trafficking Granting Committees at the Canadian Women’s Foundation and is an active member/supporter of Women Moving Millions, where she is the Chair of the Violence Against Women & Girls Circle.

"I signed the Every Woman Treaty because when women are free from violence, they have agency to move freely and pursue their dreams including education, training, seeking and holding employment and working towards economic viability for themselves and their dependents. There is no greater imperative facing the world today than the alleviation of pain, suffering and persecution of women and girls and the inclusion of women within the global community as leaders who can help heal the world."